Historic First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi, USA (founded 1837) is the largest Presbyterian congregation in the State and one of the largest in the United States. A flagship congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), First Church played a significant role in establishing the PCA (the largest conservative Presbyterian denomination in the English-speaking world), Reformed Theological Seminary, and Reformed University Ministries (a nationwide campus fellowship).

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Our denomination's missions sending agency, MTW, has just released this important information about email scams. We actually received one of these scam emails a few weeks ago at First Presbyterian, but were able to contact MTW and our missionary, and alert them to it.

What should you do if you receive an urgent email from an MTW missionary with an emergency request for funds?

Both MTW and your missionary hope you would respond by contacting MTW. Recently, the email account of an MTW missionary was taken over by hackers, and very quickly, emails began going out to supporters in the missionary’s name. These emails described an emergency situation in which the missionary was allegedly in a different country for a conference and had lost both money and a plane ticket. If they could help with a loan, recipients were asked to reply for instructions about sending funds by Western Union.

Unfortunately, the scammers were able to steal a significant amount of money from generous and sympathetic donors, even though MTW took quick action to close the door of opportunity. And not only were donors affected, but a conscientious and faithful veteran missionary is grieving for the harm caused to partners of long standing.

MTW wants supporters to know that we are here to stand behind our missionaries who are in crisis. Missionaries also know to contact MTW for assistance in crisis, and they are completely aware that they may not send out unapproved requests for funds. Our financial policies also require that all funds provided to a missionary must come through MTW.

In light of the recent cyber attack on our donors and one of our veteran missionaries, the value of these policies becomes even clearer. Many people do not realize that an email account, especially if not properly secured, can be taken over and messages sent in the name of the account holder. So, even messages from a trusted friend can be fraudulent. And funds obtained through these means are often used to support criminal activities or even more sinister causes.